2023-11-21 17:30:34
Natural hormones produced by women have a protective effect on their brain, according to what a new study led by researchers at the University of Sherbrooke reveals. According to results published in the scientific journal “Neurology” from the American Academy of Neurology, the longer a woman is exposed to her natural hormones, the less likely the small blood vessels in her brain will show signs of disease.
These findings are not trivial since, in concrete terms, healthy cerebral blood vessels reduce the risks of suffering strokes, developing cognitive disorders or even suffering from degenerative diseases. “There is a link between hormones and the brain,” mentions professor-researcher Kevin Whittingstall in an interview with The Canadian Press. We must continue to explore this role. It’s a message that has been neglected for several years and we are trying to reinforce it. » The article entitled “Association of Cumulative Lifetime Exposure to Female Hormones With Cerebral Small Vessel Disease in Postmenopausal Women in the UK Biobank” was published last week by the scientific journal “Neurology”, published by the American Academy of Neurology. It is co-signed by six researchers, including Professor Kevin Whittingstall and his student Samantha Côté, both from the Sherbrooke University Hospital Research Center.
During her work, Samantha Côté, who holds a doctorate in radiation sciences and biomedical imaging, observed a link between the rate of production of estrogen and progesterone and blood flow in the brains of women. She then wondered whether it might also have longer-term effects. The researchers therefore examined data on 9,163 postmenopausal women taken from the UK-Biobank. They calculated the number of years between the first menstruation at the time of puberty and the last at the time of menopause. They then added factors to the calculation, for example adding years for the number of pregnancies or subtracting years for taking birth control drugs.
Each pregnancy would be particularly beneficial since, as Professor Whittingstall points out, hormone levels can become 400 to 500 times higher than during the menstrual cycle. The researchers observed a stronger protective effect among women who had had one or two pregnancies compared to those who had not carried a child. Ultimately, researchers determined that women would benefit from a clear protective effect from 37 years of exposure to natural hormones. Then, the effect is increased by additional years. As the average was 39 years of exposure to hormones among the 9,163 cases studied, it appears that many women benefit from these benefits.
In Whittingstall’s opinion, doctors who treat postmenopausal women would do well to take these findings into account. “I think our study shows that it is important to know a woman’s hormonal history,” he believes. “Normally, we will ask them “have you smoked?” »; “do you exercise?” »; “are you eating well?” “We suggest that we might perhaps ask other questions related to hormonal history,” explains the man who teaches in the diagnostic radiology department. He even suggests that Samantha Côté’s work might eventually lead to the development of protective therapies once morest neurodegenerative diseases.
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Photo credit: Archives.
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